


Not Like The Movies

by Softchelles



Series: Fine. [3]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: F/M, Far from home speculation, Filler, Fluff, before some angst, dumpster fire, little bit of language, perhaps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 09:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17464670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Softchelles/pseuds/Softchelles
Summary: Peter and Michelle are nervous but they like each other and they're going to the movies and they're on a real date and everything's fine.OrEverything was supposed to be fine.





	Not Like The Movies

**Author's Note:**

> Look. This is rushed, unedited trash leading up to an idea for more garbage. I won't try and sell it for anything other than what it is. 
> 
> It's a continuation of the other 2 little tiny works in the series. I guess I could've just made this a "multi chapter" since these are basically just little tiny mini ficlets that all kind of revolve around the same story idea? Anyways, in order to get this one, you should probably read part one, Pre Date Jitters, and part two, So Fancy. But you do you~
> 
> @ softchelles on twitter, if you want to talk about anything like how that trailer was so good and this movie already owns my soul, hit me up. We've got a long way until summer 2k19 and I'm dying.

They were on a _date._

It was hard to focus on anything but that as they approached the theater. Like holy shit. They were on a date. And Peter was thrilled. 

He liked it. 

He liked _her._

How long had he been doing that?

It was hard to pinpoint an exact moment in time. The transition from girl-who-sits-in-detention-sketching-everyone, to Decathlon teammate that’s crazy smart— quite possibly the smartest on the team, but doesn’t brag about it so nobody really knows— to one of his best friends, a title that had never been plural until now. She was still no Ned. But wasn't that the point? She wasn't Ned.

 

She was _MJ._

And if Peter took the time to really think about it, he really didn’t think of her like he thought of Ned. He never brushed past Ned and put much thought into the way he smelled— faint hints of lavender lost in soft curls that frame her face perfectly. And Ned had a good laugh, but not like hers. Hers usually came at Peter’s expense, but he never minded. Not once. Because when she laughed, her nose crinkled, shoulders hunched. It was like her whole body had to fight to contain that moment of joy. The best kind of contagious. 

And her smile. It was warm and bright, like sunshine peeking through storm clouds. It was usually hidden behind her scowl—but even _that_ was kind of adorable.. how long had he found that adorable? 

Michelle’s smiles were a rare gift reserved for special occasions.  
But as they entered the theater, she wore it proudly. This was a special occasion.  
This was a date.  
This was their first date.  
_Woah._

 

❖❖❖

The theater was just like the photos she had found on the website— pillars upon pillars draped in curtains that matched the seats they walked towards. “This place—“ she squeaked. What the _hell_ was that? Her voice had never made that high pitched of a noise before, and it waits until now to try it out? Michelle cleared her throat before trying again. “This place is nice. It’s pretty.”

“Yeah,” Peter agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "It is, uhh..." He paused in the aisle as his voice trailed off, like there were other words caught in his throat, waiting to be let out. She stopped walking so she could face him, eyebrows raised as if granting the permission he searched for. "You look really pretty."

It was something so unbelievably soft and pure that there was a brief moment of panic that rose up inside of her as he spoke. She feared she was going to melt to the floor, then and there, and some poor custodian was going to have to come pick up the mushed up gooey remains of the woman that was once Michelle Jones. Years of fight or flight training kicked in. Before she even had time to think of the repercussions, she quipped back, "Therefore I have value?"

"Uh-- no," he breathed out a forced chuckle as he started to shake his head too quickly. And-- oh. Oh no. She was totally kidding. But clearly, he hadn't picked up on it. And now he probably felt bad, no, Peter _definitely_ felt bad, because he started rambling further. "No no. That's not what I--"

"I'm messing with you," she interrupted, feeling bad enough for both of them. This was already awkward and nerve wracking and she'd somehow managed to make it even more so with just four half hearted words. He let out a relieved laugh, and it seemed to break the weird awkward air that had followed them into the theater. Then it was her turn to pause, weigh out the pros and cons of what she wanted to say, before ultimately deciding to say it. "You look... pretty... too."

She could see the way the tension in the air melted as his shoulders relaxed. Michelle found her shoulders doing the same. She watched his fall to their natural position, allowing the backpack he'd brought with him to slide slightly down his arm. 

"Should we, uh-- go? Sit?" Peter suggested, hiking his bag up to the top of his shoulder. "Where do you want to sit?"

"I don't care. Wherever you want."

❖❖❖

His phone buzzed again in his pocket. Again. Whatever Spidey business was happening must be kind of important if they were trying this hard to get ahold of him. Once at dinner, twice on the way to the theater, and now that they were inside it buzzed again. 

"Is here good?" he suggested, picking two seats close enough to the aisle that he could run out, just in case whatever thing was happening was serious. 

"All the way in the back?" she questioned. "Will you be able to read the captions back here?" 

"Yeah, I-- I have pretty good vision."

"Yeah. Sure. Okay."

He stepped to the side so that she could crawl in before him. He was about to follow when his phone buzzed again. "Hey, I'm just gonna step outside and call... this thing. With the, uh-- internship."

There was something that flickered in her eyes. Suspicion? Maybe?

"Okay, but hurry. Cause the movie's about to start. And I'm not going to explain what you missed while you were gone."

If he had time to process it, maybe he would have recognized the emotion in her face for what it was. Disappointment.

"I will. Totally," he promised. He was just going to check his phone. Make sure the world wasn't falling apart. Again. It probably wasn't. It would probably be fine. "It'll just be-- real quick. Be right back. Sorry." 

❖❖❖

Before she had a chance to respond, Peter was running. Up the aisle, out of the theater, off to do whatever it is he had to do. It's not like she hadn't seen this routine a thousand times before. 

But they'd never been out on a date like this before.

So this time it felt different.  
Peter was gone, and she was alone in the theater. The reality of the fact that she wasn't just alone, but abandoned, started to sink in the longer he was gone.

He said he'd be right back.

Everything was going to be fine. 

But then the lights faded. The projector stirred to life.  
Everything was supposed to be fine.  
Suddenly, she wasn't so sure.


End file.
